The latter is a smaller group – while the former is larger and growing in Salem.

“The statistics are staggering,” said Police Capt. Conrad Prosniewski. “We have a homeless problem in Salem, and the number of calls is going up.”

From January to July 2016, Salem Police averaged 51 homelessness-related calls per month. Over the same seven months in 2017, they averaged 124 calls per month, a 143 percent increase.

Proniewski offered up those statistics before a standing-room-only crowd in an upper room of Derby Street’s St. Joseph’s Hall Thursday evening, July 27. The gathering, organized and facilitated by Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, engaged attendees in what Salem can do to collectively tackle a growing homelessness issue.

Officials also debuted “Collaborative For Hope,” a city-led coalition comprised of Salem social-service agencies from Lifebridge Salem and North Shore Career Center to North Shore Community Action Program and North Shore Community Health Center,– that aims to help empower the homeless population here to end their homelessness.

The discussion is expected to cover strategies to keep people off the streets long term with housing and other services.

By Taylor Rapalyea, Patch Staff | Jul 18, 2017 11:09 am ET

SALEM, MA – A public dialogue scheduled for late July takes aim at two major objectives: Discuss a strategy to assist Salem’s homeless population, and address some of the “nuisance-like behavior” of homeless individuals in and around the city, according to a press release.

The public dialogue will be on Thursday July 27, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., at St. Joseph’s Hall at 160 Derby St. A statement from Mayor Kim Driscoll’s office said that Salem city and police officials, representatives from Lifebridge, North Shore Community Health Center, North Shore Community Action Program, and the regional Workforce Investment Board have been working on potential solutions for the growing transient homeless population.